Arch support heel



Feb. 10, 1948.

A. H. GILMAN ARCH SUPPORT HEEL Filed Dec. 8, 1945 FL/110% q/ @4 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb. 10, 1948 AB HsUPP M HEEL e L. are Application December a, 1945, Serial n lssasss -1 My invention relates to improvements in an arch support heel and has as its principal object the provision of certain improvents overthe heel covered by my prior Patent No. 2,113,133for arch support issued April 5, 1938, whereby additional advantages of the arch support'are'realized by the wearer. V

In the arch support of my prior patent a resilient heel is provided with a forward extension, also resilient, arranged in'such fashionas to extend forwardlyunder'the 'a'rchof the foot to give the arch'sup'po'rt atthe critical time when the strain is most severe thereon. According to my present invention 1,. provide an improved means for adjusting the arch support to enable the wearer to maintain and increase the effectiveness of the support as the arch is improved by wearing it, without the necessity of cement or special shoe repair equipment. The nature and advantages of my invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein a specific embodiment of the invention is shown. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and description are illustrative only and should not be considered as limiting the invention except insofar as it is limited by the-claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of a shoe embodying the arch support of my prior patent;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary side view of the heel portion of the shoe 'showing my improved arch support means applied thereto;

Figure 3 is a bottom view of the shoe heel;

Figure 4 is a view like Figure 2 but illustrating a modification in the application of my improved arch support means;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a wedge employed in the improved arch support means; and

Figure 6 is a view in side elevation of the wedge.

In the application of the arch support to -3. e ister-s2.

' a u e 131%. in it esteem. nm rrie which my invention applies a heel ID of natural or synthetic rubber is provided with a forwardly extending narrowed portion II as an integral part thereof. This portion projects under the mid-portion of the arch 'of the foot. It is as thick as the heel itself and serves to lift the arch as weight is placed on the foot to give a resilient support at the arch. I have found that upon wearing this arch supporting means the arch generally improves so as to cause the wearer to lose, in part, the advantages provided. Also the extended portion ll tends to flatten and lose part of its resiliency and to wear thinner Patent 1 th s emedl by the r: w r sec r d-by he 1wa T9 o ei he wa .nnfa enesi un t e t .s l12 re it hi 1 ear liurpo t ouldnot eedil .be ta en. ears. 2 98 2 were! an s a result the full iese ie 0 e..t 2 nc nren e eeor inebil typ the sil r n se ti the lifts changed.v

In order to cure the difficulties enumerated bov I-v rovide. mea s .1 o esto t e, xtended a h upnort ngl orti n One. form of pply n such meansuis. illustrated in. Figure 2 V of the drawings. It will be noted by comparing Figures 1 and 2 that the portion H when first applied was curved downwardly toward its free end as indicated at l2, by the pressure exerted against the shoe shank. The tension will eventually give a certain set to the rubber and thus weaken the support. In addition, the protruding lower edge l3 of the portion l l tends to wear off in use as shown at I4 (Figures 2 and 4) to reduce the effective depth of the arch support. The means employed to restore the effectiveness of the arch support comprises a tapered wedge member 15 of yielding material such as natural or synthetic rubber, or leather. This wedge member 15 as shown in Figures 5 and 6 is widened out at its thinner edge to conform to the shape of the portion ll.

According to the showing in Figure 2 of the drawings the wedge member is inserted between the shoe sole l6 and the top surface of the portion ll It bends the portion ll down and thus overcomes the loss of effectiveness due to the set given the portion II by holding it bent as shown in Figure 1. Also the front end of the portion II is again lowered to extend below the heel level so as to give the arch support at the critical time when the heel comes off the ground. The wedge member I5 is provided with two spaced apertures I! to receive securing members such as short pins l8 shown dotted in Figure 2. These pins are set in recesses l9 provided in the forwardly extended portion I I.

Figure 4 of the drawings illustrates another way of applying the wedge member 15. In some cases the extension I I may be difficult to separate from the shoe sole and in that case it is split at a level close to the shoe sole and the member l5 7 is inserted as shown. The pins l8 are used to 3 be made of any suitable material such as metal or rubber.

As the arch improves and as the extension ll wears further, thicker wedges [5 may be applied. The wedges may be made up in sets of different taper so that the effectiveness of the portion II in supporting the arch may be repeatedly restored.

The application of the tapered wedges l5 is accomplished by bending the portion l I, as shown in Figure 2, or the lower part of portion l l, as shown in Figure 4, back far enough to insert the pins l8 in the recesses I9. Then the wedge is forced inward until the pins engage-in the openings ii. The resiliency of the rubber is suiila.

cient to permit this manner of assembly'withnO Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a shoe, the combination with a heel and means for fastening it to the shoe, and a narrowed resilient portion projecting from the front of the heel under the shank of the shoe and providing support directly for the shank of the shoe, of a wedge member inserted beneath the shoe-shank and removably mounted by said resilient forwardly projecting portion, said portion having spaced pin recesses therein and pins seated in said recesses, the wedge member having apertures receiving said pins.

' 2. In a shoe, the combination with a heel and means for fastening it to the shoe, and a narrowed resilient portion projecting from the front of the heel under the shank of the shoe and providing support directly for the shank of the shoe, of a wedge member inserted beneath the shoe shank and removably mounted on said resilient portion, the said portion having pin receiving;

recesses in the top surface, removable pins seatedv in the recesses and projecting above the top surface thereof, and said wedge member having apertures receiving the projecting portions of the pins.

3. In a shoe, the combination with a heel and means for fastening it to the shoe, and a narrowed resilient portion projecting from the front of the heel under the shank of the shoe and providing support directly for the shank of the shoe,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,907,612 Tarlow May 9, 1933 2,113,133 Gilman Apr. 5, 1938 1,809,405 Ehrenfried June 9, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 100,451 Great Britain May 8, 1916 

